


why did love put a gun in my hand

by rowofstars



Category: The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Character Study, F/M, Introspection, Single POV, Spoilers, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-23
Updated: 2017-11-23
Packaged: 2019-02-05 21:29:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12802767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rowofstars/pseuds/rowofstars
Summary: Frank's feelings during that elevator scene.





	why did love put a gun in my hand

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is kind of a mess and it's my first time writing Kastle fic so apologies if it sucks. I just have a lot of feelings about that damn elevator scene and about these two idiots in general. Spoilers for the first season, obviously.

If you had told Frank Castle yesterday that he’d be holding a gun to Karen Page’s head today, he’d have told you that you were fucking crazy. He also probably would have punched you in the face for suggesting that he could ever end up in a situation where he would have to hurt or use Karen like that.

And yet, here he is.

The air is hazy and warm, thick too, so much that it puts him back in that fucking desert. Particles hang in the space, and he winces as his lungs suck in another breath. His ears are still ringing from the bomb and there’s a jagged piece of metal sticking out of his arm, but he won’t let go of her for anything.They move towards the elevator, shuffling awkwardly. Karen’s pointed heel catches on the fat rubber edge of his boot making her stumble and press against him. 

Frank’s hand holds the gun steady under her chin as his arm presses against her chest, steadying her. The officer barks another order at him, pleads with him to stop. He sucks in another ragged breath and backs up to the doors. The reality is that the gun is not pointed at Karen. Not the metaphorical one anyway, the one that’s had a bead on Frank since the moment he threw himself on top of her in her apartment, shielding her from the spray of bullets and shattering glass. 

She is a weakness he can’t afford to have, but he’s not strong enough to lose her either.

Inside the elevator it’s almost too quiet, only their panting breath and the whir of the lift motor filling the silence. Karen reaches for him feebly, her arm coming up, her fingers almost touching him. His body braces for it, for the soft, gentle contact that never comes, and he feels it; the cold press of a barrel to his skull, the click click as it’s cocked. He’s grateful when she pulls the emergency stop and gives them a few spare moments and a shrill sound to replace the silence.

They move around each other, passing off the gun, panting and trying not to sag too heavily against the walls. Frank looks up at the elevator shaft, already preparing himself for the pain, and wonders how many floors he’ll have to climb before he finds one that’s clear. They’ll try to put a man on every floor, and he’s not sure he has strength for more than five.

" _Frank._ "

Karen says his name and touches his arm, his chest, her lips pressed together in concern. Her eyes are bright and shining, and he dips his head a bit, looking at her chin and then her lips. He’s probably left a bruise from the way he was holding the gun against her, and he clenches his fist, pulling on the wound at his elbow. The pain is a welcome punishment.

When he meets her eyes he’s lost. She moves and turns, angling like she means to kiss him. He wants that more than he should, so he leans in and bends his head to let their foreheads bump. Their breath warms the space between them. He can smell something light and sweet, like honey, and feel the wispy brush of her hair against his cheek.

In that moment, Karen Page is the most solid thing he’s ever felt.

Her voice is tired and weak, but she urges him to go, to keep running. He doesn’t have to ask her to defend him or tell them half truths to throw them off his trail. By now he knows who his one true ally is.


End file.
